Page 129 of I Never Stopped Loving You

“You’re going to make her watch you kill me?” he stammers.

“No, James. I’m going to let her kill you. So that she can be free of you and the hell you put her through.”

“You’ve wasted years keeping me alive down here. Starving me. Torturing me. All while trying to find the one woman who never wants to be found…You’re fucking crazy.”

“No. I’m in love. I’ve been in love with Willow since we were kids, and I’ll never stop searching for her.”

“She’s gone, Noah. Honestly, she probably got passed around from foster home to foster home, beaten or worse…Probably hated her life so much that she finally killed herself, and that’s why no one can find her.”

“Shut the fuck up! She’s not dead. I know she’s still out there.”

He laughs again and shakes his head at me.

“You’re fucking delusional, Killer. I just hope if you do ever find her, she has the right mind to kill you when you force her to kill me.”

“She wouldn’t.”

“You never know. Her mind could be warped. Hell, maybe that’s why no one can find her. Maybe she’s locked up somewhere.”

She’s not. I have Monty doing country-wide searches at all jails, hospitals, mental institutions, and obituaries. So many women pop up with her descriptions, but none are her. It’s taken years to comb through all of the original data, and every time a new hit came in he notified me, but I already knew she won’t be at any of those places…But I still don’t know where she could be.

Fifteen years is a long time for someone to be a ghost. What if she’s forgotten everything? What if she doesn’t remember me…

Will I lose my little rabbit for good?

CHAPTER 58

WILLOW

NOVEMBER PRESENT DAY

After the long, hot shower, I dry off and throw another one of Noah’s long T-shirts on with a pair of leggings. He’s fast asleep. I checked to make sure he didn’t have a fever and that he was breathing correctly before deciding to go downstairs. The doctor said rest is the most important part of recovery from the concussion, so that’s what he needs to do.

We probably shouldn’t have done what we did earlier, but I couldn’t help it. My body craves that man, and it’s honestly embarrassing how turned on I get just from the sound of his voice. I hope when he wakes up, his headache is gone.

When I reach the main floor, I can hear muffled shouting coming from the back patio. When I glance around the corner and out the back sliding door, I can see Jeremy on the phone with someone. He’s shouting and waving his hand around with his back to me. I wonder what’s got him so irritated. I bet it’s something to do with Noah’s dad.

That piece of shit hasn’t even texted to check on Noah through this whole thing. Jeremy called him the first day we were there, but according to Jeremy, he acted like he couldn’t care less about Noah.

It’s Tuesday. I was supposed to do my second interview today, but since I’m currently taking care of the man who was supposed to interview me, I guess I just need to accept the job already. I’ll tell him after he wakes up.

I wonder what case Jeremy has been working on all day. It’s getting late, and I can see the darkness creeping up over the water’s horizon as I tiptoe through the kitchen to the dining room. The door is cracked open, so I easily slip inside. I leave it cracked still so I can hear if Jeremy comes back inside. I’ll just go out the other way into the sitting room.

Jeremy’s laptop is open, and papers are strewn everywhere across the table. A large manila folder sits on the table, closed with the word Vallero written on the front.

Vallero? Isn’t that the man whom Jeremy came to tell Noah about on Sunday? The one who got caught red-handed killing his wife?

My heart drops into my stomach when I think about what he said that day. I couldn’t hide my emotions as well as I thought I could. I was ready to bolt, especially since just before that, I was contemplating telling Noah everything.

I know I shouldn’t open the folder. Not only because I’m technically not an official employee yet, but also because I know what could be in that folder. Evidence photos of the crime scene. If Mr. Anderson decided to pick back up Vallero’s case, which is what it looks like he did, then they would have access to everything.

I peer through the cracked-open door again and can see Jeremy still on the patio talking on the phone. He isn’t waving his hand around like before and almost looks calm. I wonder if he’s on the phone with someone else now…Maybe Jenna?

She dropped my car off earlier when she brought me clothes, and then Jeremy took her home. She doesn’t have class until Thursday, so I know she’s most likely still at home. I wonder if Jeremy will go over there for a while since I’m staying here tonight, so that Noah and I can have some alone time.

The sound of the back door slamming shut stops me from opening the folder. I quickly set it back down and rush to the sitting room. I grab a book off the coffee table and curl up on the couch just as Jeremy comes strolling back into the dining room, looking happier than usual.

“Someone looks happy,” I tease.